Molded pulp bottle



Aug. 24, 1937. P. PLUNKETT MOLDED PULP BOTTLE Filed Dec. 4, 1934 INVENTOR I n/Ha Patented Aug. 24, 1937 OFFICE;

MOLDED PULP BOTTLE Paul Plunkett, Greenwich, Conn., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Pulp Products Company, Inc., New York, N.,Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 4, 1934, Serial No. 755,860 8 Claims. (01. 2229-45) This invention relates generally to containers manufactured from fibrous material, paper pulp and the like.

More specifically, the invention relates to a con-'- tainer or bottle molded from paper pulp or like material in which the neck portion extending from the body portion is in the shape generally of a truncated cone terminating in an opening or mouth.

According to the invention, the container is molded or otherwise formed with reinforcing ribs or strengthening ridges in that part of the neck portion which, in rapid commercial manufacture, is likely otherwise to be somewhat weaker than 5 is desirable. In addition to the reinforcing ribs, which are preferably molded integral with the bottle and disposed transversely to a plane through the upper surface of the rim of the mouth, provision is made for sealing the bottle by a suitable closure.

.Such a bottle when coated with a suitable material to render the same grease and oil-proof is admirably suited, among other things, for dispensing motor oils through the usual channels well known in the trade. A container made in accordance with the invention is particularly useful in the prevention of substitution-or adulteration of the contents before it reaches the ultimate consumer.

Some grease-resistant coatings which may be used with molded pulp containers, such as, for example, mixtures of glue and glycerin, lacquers, or hydrogenated oils and waxes, or mixtures of the'foregoing, are inclined to be brittle under certain conditions. The invention provides means whereby the action of crimping devices used to seal the bottle, when certain types of metal closure are used, will not crack or break the coating film and thus cause leaks and thereby render the bottle unsatisfactory for use as a liquid container. This desirable result is accomplished by forming that portion of the bottle adjacent the closure in the same general complementary shape as the closure member or cap so that, when the cap is crimped or rolled on, there is no appreciable distortion of the inside of the bottle to which the coating is applied.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthis invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in conaxis of the neck of the bottle.

nection with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the container;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the container;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross-section of the upper 5. portion of the container with the cap in position before sealing; and

Fig. 4 is a view in cross-section of the upper portion of the container after the cap has been scaled. 10

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in 15 the several figuresof the drawing.

The bottle l0 comprises a body portion II, shown in the drawing as being of square crosssection. It will be apparent, as the description proceeds, that the body portion may be of any 20 desired cross-sectional shape. From the body portion l I extends a neck portion ill in the form generally of a truncated cone. Extending from the neck portion just described is a band or ring l3 which does not continue upwardly at an angle 25 corresponding to a projection of the truncated cone but is substantially vertical, the purposes of which are described more in detail hereinafter.

Molded integral with the neck portion l2 are a plurality of reinforcing ribs or strengthening 30 ridges l4. These ribs are shown as being disposed in such manner that lines drawn through their long axes would converge and terminate at a common point'on a line extending through the As will appear 35 hereinafter, these reinforcing ribs may be disposed at a different angle about the bottleneck than just described, the object being, however, to 'position the ribs insuch manner as to increase the strength of the neck portion of the bottle. It 40 has been found that beads or ribs around the neck of the molded pulp bottle in a plane parallel with a plane through the bottom of the bottle adds less strength to the neck than ribs transversely disposed. 45

As set forth hereinbefore, the ring or band l3 which forms the upper end of the neck portion is generally cylindrical in shape, the side wall exsuitable for sealing the container may comprise a 5 1 one-piece metal cap having a cup portion I! with a circular bottom l6 and a substantially vertical annular side wall l1 from which extends a curved portion l8 adapted to fit over the rim 19 of the mouth of the bottle. Extending downwardly from the curved portion i8 is an annular apron 20 which is in concentric spaced relation with the annular side wall l1 and spaced therefroma distance very slightly in excess of the thickness of 10 the band iii. The apron 20 before placing it on the bottle is slightly flared to facilitate placing it in'position'for sealing. The annular apron 20 terminates in an annular flange 2!.

The container, having been molded and dried,

may be rendered grease and oil-proof by coating the surface, preferably the inside, (as indicated by 2,4) with a glycerin and glue mixture, a hydrogenated oil orwax, a lacquer, a mixture of the foregoing or other suitable compositions. It

has been found that some of these coating compositions under certain conditions may be brittle.

If the molded pulp walls are distorted, such as may be the case when the cap is rolled or crimped on the bottle, as indicated in Fig. 4, in which 22 represents diagrammatically a chuck and 23 the rolling or crimping device, the lining film may be distorted and cracked. However, to avoid distortion and consequent cracking or breaking of the coating film, the inside surface of the band I3 is formed to fit snugly about the outside of the vertical side wall I! of the cup portion of the cap,

as shown in Fig. 3.

The vertical wall i'l forms a buttress against which the molded pulp wall is pressed when the crimping or rolling device seals the cap, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. It will be noted that the distortion of the molded pulp band i3 takes placeon the outside of the band when the cap is sealed on and the coating on the inside surface is not pressed out of shape or distorted, as would otherwise be the case if the neck portion had a tapered side wall throughout its length. Thus, the invention accomplishes a very desirable result in preventing the cracking of the coating which would cause 45 leaks and, therefore, render the bottle unfit as an oil or liquid container.

When the cap is thus crimped on the bottle, the liquid contents are held in a non-leaking container. If it is desired to remove the contents, the

50 cap may be cut or otherwise punctured or the neck of the bottle may be torn off manually, thus removing the cap and, at the same time, rendering the bottle unfit for further practical use. The reinforcing ribs or stiffening ridges on the neck of 55 the bottle strengthen it in a place where, otherwise,it is likely to be weak owing to the fact that, in rapid manufacturing processes, the molded pulp bottle may have a tendency to be thinner or weaker at the neck, unless, as pointed out herein,

60 provision is made for its reinforcement. Moreover, the ribs are so positioned to facilitate tearing off the cap at a locus just below the cap rather than at a locus near the body portion of the bottle,

thus insuring against undesirable leakage as would be the case if the neck were ruptured below the level of the liquid in the bottle.

Furthermore, the provision of a band portion to snugly fit complementary with the cup portion of the cap prevents cracking ofthe coating during the sealing operation.

A bottle thus made in accordance with the invention will stand up under hard usage and will not show any appreciable tendency of weakness 1 about the neck where many bottles of the molded pulp type heretofore'made have shown such tendency.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed and are pointed out in the an- I ment, said body, neck and band portion forming a seamless enclosure wall, said neck portion having a relatively smooth interior wall and longitudinal and external reinforcing ribs molded integrally therewith and terminating adjacent to said band, whereby a rupture of the neck to open the container will normally occur between the upper ends of said ribs and said reinforcing closure element.

2. In a seamless molded container formed from pulp, a body portion, a neck portion of truncated conical shape extending from said body portion, a band portion of cylindrical shape having a verticalside wall extending from said neck portion, said neck and band having relatively smooth interior walls, and a plurality of reinforcing ridges molded integrally with and on the exterior of said neck portion, said body, neck and band portions forming a seamless enclosure wall.

3. In a molded bottle formed from pulp comprising an enclosing wall of entirely seamless construction, a body portion of substantially square cross-section, a neck portion having the shape of a truncated cone extending from said body portion, and a plurality of raised reinforcing ridges of equal cross-section substantially throughout their whole length molded integral with said neck portion and positioned in such manner that lines drawn through the long axes of said ridges will converge and meet at a common point.

4. A molded bottle formed from pulp comprising a body portion, a neck portion shaped in the form of a truncated cone, a band portion extending from said neck portion, the inner surface of said band forming a cylindrical wall substantially vertical, 2. cap having a cup portion fitting snugly within said' inner vertical surface of said band portion before said cap is sealed on said bottle, and an apron portion extending around the outside of said band, said cup portion having a substantially vertical side wall and forming a buttress for prevention of distortion of the inner surface of said band portion when said apron is forced inwardly against said band portion.

5. A molded bottle formed from pulp having a grease-resistant coating comprising a body portion of substantially square cross-section, a truncated conical neck portion extending from said body portion and having reinforcing raised ridges molded integral therewith and extending in the same general direction as the axis of the neck of said bottle, a cylindrlcally shaped band with vertical side wall extending from said neck portion and forming a mouth, and a closure member adapted to seal said mouth, said reinforcing ridges terminating below said closure member whereby a rupture of the neck to remove said closure member will normally occur between the upper ends of said raised ridges and said closure element.

6. A bottle .for dispensing oil comprising a seamless enclosure wall molded from fibrous pulp and lined with an oil-resistant film and having a body portion of square cross-section, a truncated conical neck portion extending from said body portion, a ring portion extending from said neck portion, said neck portion having molded integral therewith a plurality of raised stiiiening ribs, said ribs extending from the lower part of said ring portion in a general downward direction a substantial distance, said ring portion having 9, cylindrical substantially vertical inner surface and a cap including a cylindrical cup portion adapted to snugly fit in said ring portion, and an apron portion adapted to be criniped against the outside of said ring portion.

7. In combination, a seamless container, molded from pulp and having a tapered neck terminating in a substantially cylindrical mouth portion and a closure cap having a cupped portion seated in and abutting substantially the entire length of the inner surface of said cylindrical portion, and an apron portion overlying and compressed against the outer surface of said cylindrical portion.

8. In combination, a seamless bottle molded from pulp, and having a tapered neck terminating in a substantially cylindrical portion, a layer of liquid-proof coating material disposed on the inner wall of said bottle, and a cap having a cup portion fitted into said cylindrical portion and an apron overlying and compressed against said cylindrical portion whereby said cap can be removed only by mutilation of said cap or bottle, said cupped portion serving as an abutment for said cylindrical portion whereby said coating is not ruptured when said apron is compressed against the bottle.

- PAUL PLUNKETT. 

